Caribbean launches first-ever shelter working group to boost disaster preparedness
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – More than 47 disaster management professionals from across the Caribbean and beyond have joined forces to launch the region’s first Shelter Technical Working Group, as the Atlantic Hurricane Season reaches its peak.
Led by the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the IOM Caribbean said on Friday that the new platform will “strengthen emergency shelter operations, ensure fair aid distribution, and promote safer, more inclusive responses for people affected by disasters.”
Tamara Lovell, community resilience specialist at CDEMA, said the purpose of this group is “really to frame this as a start of what we consider to be a shelter management community for the Caribbean.
“Out of that, we’re also hoping to have a core group that we can establish to really advance shelter management considerations going forward,” she said.
IOM Caribbean said that weekly meetings since the launch have fostered a “strong, collaborative community, ready to tackle urgent shelter needs.”
IOM Caribbean said it and CDEMA have committed to ensuring that local organisations and communities are “at the heart of all shelter planning and response, recognising their essential role in making shelters safer and more inclusive for vulnerable groups and ensuring no one is left behind.”
Key partners including national disaster offices, local civil society and non-governmental organisations from across the Caribbean are participating in the group.
The working group has launched a WhatsApp community for instant updates and peer support, alongside a dedicated website for sharing resources, technical guidance, and news. Upcoming sessions will dive into critical topics such as quality of relief goods, gender-based violence, cash support, and sustainable shelter solutions.
IOM Caribbean said the group will also coordinate technical support, organise training opportunities, and mobilise relief supplies for rapid distribution if disaster strikes.
Organisations including IOM, ShelterBox, GSD, UNICEF and Red Cross have already stockpiled emergency items like plastic sheets, toolkits, solar lamps, tents, generators and hygiene materials at CDEMA’s Logistics Hub in Barbados.
Jan-Willem Wegdam, IOM’s emergency coordinator for the Caribbean, has made a call to action, stating: “Let’s shape this agenda together. Let’s make this a welcoming community where your ideas and energy drive impact—and where we enjoy working together toward a safer Caribbean.”
IOM Caribbean said the working group is supported by IOM under the Resilient Caribbean Project funded by the European Union, which was launched virtually by IOM earlier this month.
